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The Plain of Jars in northeast Laos may be related to burial rituals dating back 2,000 years—but the site still proves a mystery to archeologists.
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Plain of Jars at dusk.
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The area where the ancient jars lie is one of the most heavily bombed in all of the planet. The American government dropped an estimated 2 million tons of bombs while fighting against Vietnam.
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A man next to one of the giant jars in Laos. The vessels are in various sizes, though some of the smaller ones may have been looted over the years.
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UNESCO has named Plain of Jars a tentative list site, "important but imperiled."
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Trees growing among the mysterious jars.
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A broken jar at the place called Site No.2 in the Plain of Jars.The fields near the jars have been burnt, part of the local agricultural practice.
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Ancient Urns or Drinking Vessels for Giants? Behind the Mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos

A grassy area studded with hulking, 2,000-year-old jars provides a surreal sight as well as an archeological puzzle

Stonehenge inspires awe, but there’s an even more mysterious ancient scene in Laos. The Plain of Jars consists of thousands of prehistoric stone vessels scattered over hundreds of square kilometers near Phonsavan, in the northeastern part of the country—a hilly area, despite the “plain” in the name. The huge jars form a surreal sight—some are up to ten feet tall and weigh several tons. It’s an archeological wonder that experts still haven’t pinned down.

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French archeologists began puzzling over the vast display in the early 20th century. One, Henri Parmentier, who visited in 1923, found that although the contents of many of the jars had already been plundered, a typical one might contain one or two black pots, one or two hand axes, a “bizarre object” he concluded was a lamp, glass beads, drilled carnelian beads, earrings of stone or glass, bronze bells, and “frequently the debris of human bones.” Yet another French archeologist, Madeleine Colani, is credited with providing much of the early information about the site after conducting field research there in the 1930sand writing a tome called The Megaliths of Upper Laos—which, according to the New York Times, is a “719-page, two-volume hardcover available only in French.”

Archeologists say that the structures, some of which date back to 2,000 years ago, may be burial-related, though one oft-reported local legend declares that “a tribe of giants used them as wine chalices to celebrate a great victory."

The jars are mostly undecorated, but some feature carved human figures or faces. There are circular stone discs near the jars, thought to be lids, and these, according to UNESCO, “are also sometimes carved with representations of humans, tigers or monkeys.” Similar creations exist elsewhere, including in a part of India 600 miles away, but it’s still unclear exactly which civilization made the ones in Laos.

Despite the military attacks, the mysterious works have survived. And Plain of Jars is still northeastern Laos’ most popular tourist attraction, with visitors staying along carefully marked safety paths as they marvel at this ancient, unsolved wonder.

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About Michele Lent Hirsch

Michele Lent Hirsch is a writer, editor, and native New Yorker. She is currently at work on a nonfiction book about health and gender.